


Exit, Pursued

by bold_seer



Category: The Road to El Dorado (2000)
Genre: Ficlet, Gen, Irony, Just Deserts, Period Typical Attitudes, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-24
Updated: 2015-10-24
Packaged: 2018-04-27 19:32:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5061220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bold_seer/pseuds/bold_seer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Greed was the sin of weaker men than Cortes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Exit, Pursued

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rosencrantz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosencrantz/gifts).



"What devilry is this?!" The tunnel behind the waterfall had no end in sight. "We march –" he started, but when he turned around, there was nothing behind him – no army, not another soul. He was alone in the belly of darkness; the torch he carried was the only source of light.

It was foul, and a rank smell hang in the stagnant air. Cortes recalled Jonah in the whale, but any sense of unease left him quickly. If the native had spoken true, daylight and a City of Gold waited on the other side. El Dorado was close enough to taste the metal.

Greed was the sin of weaker men than Cortes. Lesser men. He was doing the Lord's work.

The troops could wait, he thought and set to follow the narrow path, water flooding beside him. He was unsurpassed in his righteousness and purity, a knight on the quest for the Holy Grail. Certainly, he had nothing to fear.

In the scant light, Cortes regarded the rounded ceiling with reluctant admiration. Clearly he had underestimated the natives’ cunningness and craftsmanship. Measures to protect their gold, of course.

_Halt. ___

Something was moving in the dark, had made its presence felt. _What heathen trick was this?_ Cortes raised the torch.

It was a primal thing, from some lost and uncivilised age, a world of savagery and brute force. Spikes followed its body and monstrous tail, and the thick skin resembled armour. Although its jaw looked strong enough to break a horse in half, the four little legs seemed slow and clumsy. It was watching him with conniving eyes.

Cortes felt nothing but contempt for the creature. He would slay the beast and bathe in its blood, he thought. Defeat it for a new order. With God on his side, he was George facing the Dragon. In a New World, a New Spain. He drew his sword arm - for a new age! Demolishing all evil, _He_ would begin here.

In that moment, Cortes realised his hand was empty. His sword was gone, too. He startled, and the torch fell to the ground.

And then - the darkness devoured him.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween! Even if it is with Cortes. And a little friend he picked up. ;)


End file.
